Drop front panel girdle



Feb, 26, G H EMERY DROP FRONT PANEL GIRDLE Filed Nov. 15, 1954 11w 'ENTOR. GEIQALD/NEH.EM6QY A TTOEME v DROP FRONT PANELGTRDLE Geraldine H. Emery, Edgewood, Pa.

Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,836

4 Claims. (Cl. 2- -38) This invention relates generally to girdles and more particularly to a girdle having a drop front panel the side edges of which are detachably secured to the girdle.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a girdle having a front panel section, the side edges of which are detachable from the sides of the girdle for a considerable length of the girdle to form a drop front panel that enables the garment to be completely opened along the waist hem line, making it more easily drawn on the body of the wearer.

Another object of this invention is'the provision of the T? nited States Patent shape of the front panel which is constructed to be attacned to the sides of the girdle along curved lines on each side of the body which initially follow the approximate line of the groin and curve upwardly to the top hem line of the girdle.

Other objects and advantages appear hereinafter in the following description and claims.

The accompanying drawings show for the purpose of exemplification Without limiting the invention or claims thereto certain practical embodiments illustrating the principles of this invention wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a girdle having the panel secured in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation showing the front panel unfastened and dropped forward.

Referring to the drawings, the garment comprising this invention is a girdle the sections of which may be made up in any suitable material commonly employed in garments of this character. However, for the purpose of describing the girdle in detail the girdle shown in the drawing illustrates a garment having a rear panel 1 which can be constructed of a fabric such as satin latex to provide a vertical stretch and which is wider at the bottom as indicated at 2 than it is at the top as indicated at 3. This rear panel has side edges 4 and S. The side edge 4 is integrally joined with the side section or panel 6 along the edge 4. The other side 7 is joined along the edge 5 with the rear panel to-form the other side of the garment. The side panels 6 and 7 extend around the sides of the body to the front of the garment and it is preferable that the material of each of the side panels 6 and 7 extends around the front of the garment and they are relatively close to each other and are defined by the edges 3 and 9.

A portion of each side panel 6 and 7 is severed along the lines 1%) and 11 to form the front panel 12. Thus the front panel actually includes some of the cloth of the side panels 6 and 7 and particularly that cloth extending between the lines 8 and 10 on one side and 9 and 11 on the other side.

The balance of the front panel 12 is made up by the elastic panel section 13 that joins the garment along the edges 8 and 9 from the top hem line 14 to the bottom hem line 15 of the garment. This elastic front panel section 13 is permitted to stretch freely vertically of the garment in the same manner as the rear panel section 1. However, the side panel sections 6 and 7 are ordinarily ice made of material commonly referred to as two-way stretch. This elastic will give either vertically or horizontally.

The front drop panel section 12 includes the center front panel elastic section 13 and a portion of the cloth between the edges 8 and 10 and 9 and 11 on each side of the garment. This panel section may be dropped as indicated in Fig. 2 at any desired position along the severed lines 10 and 11 down to the points 16 and 17 on the left and right sides of the girdle respectively. The points 16 and 17 represent the foremost point where the front panel 12 can be made free from the rest of the garment and may be attached thereto by any suitable fastening means, such as a series of hooks and eyes, a lacing, or a zipper, all of which are well known in the art. However, for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, the fastening means employed are the hook and eye members 13 and 19 respectively with the hooks mounted on each side of the side panels 6 and 7 and the eyes mounted on each side of the drop panel section 12. These hook and eye structures merely form an initial holding means to fix the relative positions of the front and side panels until a zipper such as illustrated at 2% may be drawn from the points 16 and 17 to the top of the top hem line of the girdle for completely closing the panel in position as shown in Fig. 1. Each zipper 20 has an ordinary working part such as the slide 21 and the pull tab 22.

The essential feature of the zippers employed in the girdle comprising this invention is that they are constructed to extend around the curve as illustrated at 23 and 24. It is possible to use a straight zipper and form it around a curve of this character. However, small rolls or puckers are formed in the front drop panel section 12, which are not desirable, although they do not spoil the function of the invention. A zipper that is made along a curved line is superior owing to the fact that it holds the material of the garment snug and tight and does not cause any rolls or puckers in the cloth when closed.

The zipper of the continuous fastener type is ideal for this application as it may be extended along the curves 23 and 24 which approximately follow each groin of the person of the wearer before the same extends upwardly toward the top of the garment. of the continuous fastener is particularly important as it performs functions other than merely fastening the drop front panel in position. This fastening means lends support to the muscles of the abdomen that extend upwardly from the groin and around from the pelvis so as to really fit the person of the wearer without discomfort and along the lines that the muscles crease or flex in the movement of the body. As the line of the continuous fastener follows the lines 10 and 11 upwardly to the top of the garment they likewise lend support to the abdomen up to the top of the girdle and on each side thereof. Although the drop panel section 12 is wider at the top than at the bottom it is constructed to reduce the hem line at the top of the girdle and apply tension across the abdomen to hold the same in and flat but at the same time lend support around the curved portions of the abdomen just above the groin.

Support of the muscles and particularly those of the lower abdomen is advantageous for use in post-maternity cases where the muscular support has been temporarily exhausted and requires a constant lift until they become strong enough to redevelop. The curvature of the continuous fastener on both sides of the abdomen together with the U-shaped drop front panel provide a wider support for holding these muscles in position.

When the front drop panel section 12 is lowered as shown in Fig. 2 the garment may be readily drawn on the body without interference from the muscles on the This approximate path 7 thighs and hips. When secured along its side edges to the girdle as shown in Fig. 1 it provides an easy path for the person wearing the garment to draw the continuous fastener closed owing to the fact that the curved zippers remain on the front face of the girdle and do not extend over or adjacent to the hips.

When the drop panel section 12 is unfastened the girdle is very easily stepped in and out of and does not require undue tugging or overstretching of the material. The material of the girdle will last for a much longer period of time and the girdle will hold. its shape, thus providing the improved service for which it is intended.

I claim:

1. A girdle comprising connected rear and side sections, a front section having edges part of which are made integral with said side sections only at the bottom thereof forming a continuous bottom hem line, the remaining edges of the front section being free from the side sections and initially curving outwardly and upwardly toward the top hem line, the initial portion of the free edges of the front section adapted to extend from the position of the groin of the wearer, and detachable slide fastening means secured to the side and front sections and following the curved edges of the front section to secure the remaining free edges of the front section in position.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the shape of said front section provides a top hem line materially smaller than the bottom hem line when said detachable slide fastening means are closed.

3. A girdle comprising connected rear and side sections, a front section made integral with said side sections forming a continuous bottom hem line, at least one side edge of the front section being free from its adjacent side section for a substantial length of the girdle, said side edge initially curving outwardly and upwardly from a point spaced above and to one side of the hem line center of the front section toward the top hem line, and detachable slide fastening means following the curved side edge of the front section to secure it in position and close the garment.

4. A garment comprising connected rear and side sections, 21 front section having edges part of which are made integral with said side sections and providing a con tinuous bottom hem line for said garment, the remaining adjacent edges of the front and side sections being unattached to each other and following outwardly and upwardly curved mating lines, a detachable fastener means in the form of a continuous series of interlocking fastener elements attached to said curved mating edges of said side and front sections and following at least a portion of the position of the groin of the wearer, and a slide member on said interlocking fastener elements which when moved around the curved mating edges opens and closes the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

